Pearl
Pearl is the newest of the coaches, the female lead of Starlight Express and best friends with Dinah the Dining Car, Buffy the Buffet Car and Ashley the Smoking Car. She is an observation car, although in Germany, she is referred to as a "first class car". Rusty the Steam Engine is madly in love with her. In the original London production, when Rusty asks Pearl to be his race partner, she rejects him, explaining that she has "a train I dream about, an engine moved by steam." Despite the fact that Rusty is ''a steam train, she still rejects him saying that he doesn't have the whistle her dream train has. She instead accepts Electra as her partner in the second heat for the time being until she finds her dream train. After "The Rap" she accepts Greaseball as her partner, leaving Dinah depressed and Pearl not understanding why. After the Uphill final, she learns what Greaseball is really like when she discovers that he was involved in a plot with CB and Electra to slow Rusty down. During the Downhill Final, Pearl is not focusing on the race and on Rusty instead. She eventually is injured by Electra's attacks and uncoupled by Greaseball which sends her on a runaway course towards the edge of the side, nearly causing her to die. Rusty however rescues her and she later realises that Rusty was her dream train the whole time. In all other productions, she has already been partnered with Rusty, but when Electra comes to the scene, she is dazzled by Electra and flattered that he wanted her to be his partner for the first heat. However she knows Rusty better, and he had asked her first. She is left having a hard time to decide who to go with. Before she could come to a conclusion, Electra appears and takes her for his own. She goes along deciding that it doesn't really matter who to go with. After the finals when she had to be rescued by Rusty from a would-be fatal crash, she realises that she should have partnered with Rusty in the first place and is worried that she had ruined everything. Rusty appears and forgives her. Character interpretation Pearl is young and innocent, and also very new to the railway. She has a lack of experience which is discovered thought-out the events of Starlight Express. She unknowingly lets down two of her closest friends: Rusty, when she breaks her promise to race with him, and Dinah, when she steals Greaseball. In London she is searching for her dream train, which reflects modern day fairy-tales of princesses always searching for their princes. She doesn't accept Rusty as her dream train, and partners with first Electra, then Greaseball for the time being while she still searches. When the two villians leave her to die however, Rusty saves her and she realises that Rusty has been her dream train: someone who actually cared for her. In all other productions, she is happy with Rusty as her partner. However when Electra arrives, she is dazzled by him and is flattered when he sends a message to her to be his partner. This leaves her in a difficulty to decide who to go with. Electra is new, clean, shiny, and stylish. However, she had been with Rusty long enough to know that he is nice, and he had asked her first. She accepts to be with Electra thinking that it doesn't matter who she went with. However it did matter when Rusty loses hope to race, and Electra proves to be boring with no whistle. She later partners up with Greaseball, still thinking it didn't matter. What Pearl didn't know was that not only was Dinah Greaseball's partner, but that Dinah was in love with Greaseball. Pearl only believes that it's all in fun and tells Dinah to "quit crying." After the finals she reflects on all that had happened that night. Electra wasn't right: despite being stylish he didn't have a whistle and therefore was boring, Greaseball wasn't right: he was a bully and was Dinah's love, both he and Electra had helped to torment Rusty after the Uphill Final, in the downhill final Greaseball used her as a block against Electra's attacks, Greaseball uncouples her during the race leaving her to fall off the track and die. Rusty was the only one who cared for her and he had saved her from sudden death. After realising her mistakes, she couples up with Rusty, who forgives her. Songs '''Original London' *Call Me Rusty *A Lotta Locomotion *Freight *He Whistled At Me *Only He *Only You Revised London *A Lotta Locomotion *Freight *He'll Whistle At Me *Crazy *Make Up My Heart *Next Time You Fall In Love Bochum *Liebesexpress (German translation of Engine of Love) *Ne Lok Mit Locomotion (German translation of A Lotta Locomotion) *Crazy *Hilf Mir Versteh'n (German translation of Make Up My Heart) *Du Allein (German translation of Only You) *Allein Im Licht Der Sterne (German translation of Next Time You Fall In Love) Revised Bochum *Ne Lok Mit Locomotion (German translation of A Lotta Locomotion) *Dann Pfeift Er Mir Zu (German translation of He'll Whistle At Me) *Crazy *Hilf Mir Versteh'n (German translation of Make Up My Heart) *Nur Mit Ihm (German translation of UK tour version of Only He) *Für Immer (German translation of I Do) Japan/Australia Tour *Engine of Love *A Lotta Locomotion *Make Up My Heart *Only You US/UK Tours *A Whole Lotta Locomotion *He'll Whistle At Me *Crazy *Make Up My Heart *Next Time You Fall In Love *Only He / Only You *I Do Expreso Astral *Me Chiflará (Spanish translation of He'll Whistle At Me) *No Resiste Mi Corazón (Spanish translation of Make Up My Heart) *Si Buscas Otro Amor (Spanish translation of Next Time You Fall In Love) Costume Before the original London production was opened to the public, Pearl underwent through four different costumes during the previews, as the producers were trying to decide which costume suited her character. Two were combinations of hot pink and black, whilst the other two were combinations of white and pink. It was later decided for Pearl to wear the mostly white costume, with black piping and a puffball skirt, when the London production opened. The Broadway production saw a new change to Pearl's costume, with a newly-designed miniskirt with a 'PM' monogram, (representing her role as a Pullman car), as well as an 'OBSERVATION' panel covering her cleavage. After the London production was revised, Pearl's costume was dramatically changed, having being brought over from Broadway and the 1st US tour, with the word 'OBSERVATION' written across her costume. Her puffball skirt became a miniskirt with a 'PM' on the front panel, and the boxes on her shoulders became smaller and more simply designed. In 1999, Pearl's costume was adapted, with the removal of the 'OBSERVATION' panel in favor of a visible cleavage. She would carry on this version of her costume until the closure of the London production in 2002. The Bochum production saw little change to Pearl's costume, which had been brought over from Broadway. And at the moment, her costume has not been altered or adapted in any way, unlike the other coaches. When the musical went to Las Vegas, Reva Rice originally used her Broadway costume. However, a few months into the production, her costume was drastically altered to fit into the 'Vegas Showgirl' theme. As a result, her costume lost the 'OBSERVATION' panel, the front panel of her skirt with the 'PM' monogram, and her leggings. As a result of the loss of the 'PM' monogram, her belt has a 'PRR' monogram on it. The subsequent US and UK tours would use this costume. However, when the show went on tour to Hong Kong and Singapore in 2013, her skirt was significantly larger, the remaining panels were also joined together halfway down, as opposed to the previous tours where the panels hang loosely. In Expreso Astral, Pearl's costume was a heavily-based on the late London costume. The only difference is the ends of her miniskirt, which ended pointed instead of flat. However, sometime during the show's run, her leggings were removed, which provides some justification as all the other coaches were not wearing leggings, with the exception of Buffy, who wore her silver tights. The short-lived Starlight on Ice production saw another change to Pearl's costume. Her costume no longer had any pink, but blue and silver. Her skirt was fashioned around a wheel on her hips, her gloves had small metal-framed windows and she wore a small hat. Photo Gallery Aus pearlt.jpg|Nikki Belsher as Pearl, Japan/Australia tour 1987 L84 13.jpg|Stephanie Lawrence as Pearl, London 1984 B89 04.jpg|Lovette George as Pearl, Bochum 1989 THATpic.jpg|Kim Leeson as Pearl, London 1991 PA29401@Prince Edward Starl.jpg|Deborah Spellman as Dinah and Dawn Buckland as Pearl with Prince Edward. London 1995 Us93 pearl.jpg|Reva Rice as Pearl, Las Vegas 1993 Mexpose.jpg|Mexican production, 1997 L00 flyer1.jpg|Marissa Dunlop as Pearl, London 2000. PA608971@SHOWBIZ StarlightG.jpg|Jo Gibb as Pearl, London 2002 Claudia Bradley PEARL.jpg B02 16.jpg|Danni Wing as Pearl, Bochum 2002 Us03 26.jpg|Clarissa Grace as Pearl, US Tour 2003 Uk06 08.jpg|Miria Parvin as Pearl, 2006 UK Tour Janehobson 20120511 16.jpg|Amanda Coutts as Pearl, UK Tour 2012 Uk12 sg.jpg|Amanda Coutts as Pearl, UK Tour 2012 Wigs Pearl traditionally wears a pink wig, but there have been instances where she didn't have a wig at all, or it had been black. In the Bochum production, Lovette George's wig was a topknot style with braids and a huge fringe, along with long curls. Her wig had sparkly pieces pinned in, and it was black in color. In Broadway, Reva Rice didn't wear a wig at all, which had the unfortunate effect of making the back of her black hair disappear into the background whenever the lighting wasn't too good, making her head appear half the size of everyone else's. Her hair was styled into a bun, to resemble a ballet dancer. After the Broadway production closed, she wore a pink wig like everyone else. In the London production, Pearl's wig was a topknot style with a clip attached to the back. In Broadway and the 1st US tour, she had a chimney style accessory which made her topknot stand up. In Bochum, her topknot was adorned with a small tiara. Currently, the Bochum wig is either pink or purple with black streaks. The shortlived Starlight On Ice production saw Pearl wearing a blonde wig with a simple ponytail. Following the Las Vegas production, the 2nd US tour and subsequent UK tours saw the delicate pink wig being removed in favor of a dark beige blonde wig that ended at her shoulders. Pearl's makeup usually consists of pink and white, and sometimes purple or blue in her eye shadow depending on production. She also wears pink lipstick that in several productions is slightly glittery. Actresses London (1984-2002) *Stephanie Lawrence (Original Pearl) *Maria Jane Hyde *Kim Leeson *Beverly Braybon *Reva Rice *Shelley Meredith *Samantha Lane *Claudia Bradley *Amanda Salmon *Cheryl McAvoy *Marissa Dunlop *Jo Gibb Broadway (1987) *Reva Rice Japan/Australia Tour (1987-1988) *Nikki Belsher Bochum (1988-ongoing) *Maria Jane Hyde *Lovette George *Claudia Bradley *Rachelle Rak *Deborah Odell *Jennifer Vaden *Nina Pressing *Clarissa Grace *Danni Wing *Amanda Coutts *Carla Pullen *Georgina Hagen *Trina Hill (current) US Tours (1989-1991, 2003-2004) *Reva Rice (1st Tour) *Clarissa Grace (2nd Tour) Japan Tour (1990) *Nikki Belsher Las Vegas (1993-1997) *Reva Rice *Dawn Marie Church UK Tours (2004-2008, 2012-2013) *Jane Horn *Miria Parvin *Gemma Atkins *Amanda Coutts *Leanne Garretty New Zealand Tour (2009) *Rebecca Wright Category:Characters Category:Coaches